


Rinse, Repeat

by Capucine



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Angst, Bigotry & Prejudice, Brainwashing, Execution, F/F, Fate Worse Than Death, Homeworld - Freeform, Sad Ending, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-30
Updated: 2015-10-30
Packaged: 2018-04-28 22:54:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,159
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5108609
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Capucine/pseuds/Capucine
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Crystal Gems have been captured. They are on Homeworld, and there is simply no hope left--they know they are going to be executed for treason, and have mostly reconciled themselves to this, consoled that at least they will die together.</p>
<p>But this doesn't turn out to be the Homeworld authority's plan for Pearl; instead, they have something much worse in mind...</p>
            </blockquote>





	Rinse, Repeat

**Author's Note:**

> Based on the revelation that Pearl was made to be a servant, and the way Peridot treated her in the episode Back to the Barn.
> 
> Very dramatic, downer ending.

This was it.

They had been taken.

They had succeeded in destroying the cluster, saving the Earth...but the Crystal Gems were no match for the full might of Homeworld.

Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl sat in their cell. It was a miracle in and of itself that Garnet had not been forced to defuse; maybe they knew she couldn't break free, despite being the strongest one among them.

It was a grim atmosphere, but the gems all were close, Pearl holding Amethyst tightly and Garnet keeping a protective embrace around them both. They were chained, the chains made to force them to keep their current forms, but the chains were loose enough to allow them close.

No tears. It had been a long trip here, and the tears had all been shed.

Steven was...they didn't know where. They didn't know what was happening with him, and that was agonizing.

They knew what was going to happen, at least to them, though. Crushed, smashed, shattered, however you preferred to term it: death.

It'd already happened to Peridot, though long before they'd reached here, instead in the confrontation that led to their capture. Peridot, who they had once hated, who had once been an obnoxious brat, had become an obnoxious friend. She had accepted them for who they were, despite her long-held beliefs, and had finally relaxed around them—and been in turn accepted.

She'd shown an interest in analyzing children's cartoons with Steven, sitting there and picking apart things like appearance and plot. She learned more and more about Earth culture as she did so, and made jokes only Steven or sometimes Amethyst got.

She'd also been awed by seeing a sunflower plant, _her_ sunflower plant, grow. She'd learned to fold laundry and bake a cake (a special dark chocolate recipe) and appreciate the calmness of a pond. The sweetness of doughnuts and the bounciness of a trampoline and the fact that no one here wanted to hurt her for not doing her job right or not fulfilling her societal role or even just for being too mouthy.

And she was gone, shattered into many, many pieces as she tried to defend herself with a bike pump against the unexpected invaders, caught outside the house and outside the safety of the group.

They'd only just seen her before she was gone, gem shattered—a look of fear, of 'why?' Perhaps, 'why did you let this happen to me?' or 'Why didn't you protect me?' or 'Why did I do this, why did I ever give up on Homeworld?' Maybe even simply, 'Why am I dying?' the concept of being gone forever at such a young age (only a few centuries) hard to understand in reality. At it really, truly happening when it seemed like it had been safely averted.

And now, here they were, battle lost, Steven lost, and hope lost.

There had been whispers among them of plots to escape, to make it back to Earth, to free Steven—but now, after all the time that had passed, they were resigned, almost content, to at least die together. They would have their gems crushed, but it would be all of them, all at once, as was custom. 

They wouldn't be touching, but they would know the others were there, and...perhaps that would make it bearable, make it something that wasn't a frightening terror. To die with friends, on the side of good, was not a horrible way to go.

The door dissolved all of a sudden, and the guards were here.

Garnet's embrace tightened a little, almost reflexively.

It was time, Pearl thought, they were going to be executed.

But the guards, thick, tall gems that Pearl didn't even recognize, were instructed by a voice, “Take the pearl; _only_ the pearl.”

“W-why only me?” Pearl stammered, a fear flickering up her spine.

No answer, of course, and the guards advanced.

“No,” Garnet said firmly, though there was a hint of desperation in her voice, “If you're going to smash us, you're going to do it all at once.”

This prompted a response, a sort of light almost-snicker. “I deign only to answer you, filthy war machine, because perhaps you deserve to know this before you die, so that you will suffer as befitting your crimes: the pearl is not being smashed.”

“Uh, that doesn't sound like it would make us suffer...?” Amethyst said uncertainly, but her grip was still tight on Pearl. 

But Garnet's grip tightened further, as Pearl seemed to freeze. “No. No, we all go together,” Garnet insisted.

“I'm sorry, but that's not exactly your decision,” the voice sneered, and she continued, “The pearl will be reprogrammed and put back to use: at the lowest level, of course. She's not really worth killing, after all; she's just a pearl, and easily put back to use rather than just wasted--”

Pearl's breathing had sped up, close to hyperventilating quickly. “No, no, you can't do this!”

Amethyst shouted, “Stay away from Pearl! You guys are such freaks, leave her alone!”

Garnet stood as the guards advanced, an intimidating air coming over her. “Anyone who wants Pearl has to go through me.”

But the chains jerked, pulling her back into the wall, slamming her. She couldn't even move, these chains made to hold gems much stronger than her.

Amethyst was up next, knowing she was weaponless but furious that they would even suggest doing something like that to Pearl. “Get away!” she shouted, swinging at the guards—before she too was slammed against the wall.

Pearl was clearly terrified, but the chains fell off her wrists and ankles as the guards approached. “No. No, you can't do this to me! I am my own person, I am not just a—a _thing_ , to be reprogrammed at will! You can't—I won't let you!”

They acted like she hadn't even spoken, reaching out to grab her and take her away.

Pearl couldn't imagine a worse fate, mind wiped of everything that made her herself, robotically and gracefully serving once again, completely unaware that there was anything outside being a devoted and proper servant. Anything outside of forgetting herself and focusing only on her master, what self, there would be no self to have, no existence outside of being her master's pearl.

“Pearl! Fight!” Garnet shouted, even she was overtaken by the desperate desire for this not to happen, despite knowing it was impossible.

And she did, weaponless but making a fist like Garnet had taught her all those centuries or millennia ago. She swung it into the guard's face.

Pearl was fast, agile, and was able to dodge the guards for a while, occasionally getting in hits as she screamed at them, “I won't let you, I won't let you!”

“Come on, P, you can do it!” Amethyst shouted, perhaps not knowing the hopelessness of the situation.

When they got a grip on her, stunned at first but more than capable of putting her in painful, inescapable hold, as weakened as she was and completely weaponless, it was then that Garnet reached the end of her desperation.

She'd held onto being allowed to remain fused for as long as she could, certain that it would be taken from her if she defused; she'd wanted to die together.

But now, she split, Ruby and Sapphire free of the chains and coming running to Pearl's defense. Ruby with her glove slammed into a guard, who was about double her height; Sapphire unleashed her ice powers.

She'd, they'd both, known that they could probably not stand against the power of homeworld, separate or not—they weren't all that strong on their own, compared to gems made for fighting as their whole life.

But they got a good few hits in, got several more guards called in as they pulled Pearl to themselves, the gem sobbing and trembling and obviously terrified of what was going to happen.

Sapphire had her arms wrapped around Pearl, and Ruby stood protectively in front of them, positively growling. “Pearl, I need you to fight.”

Sapphire didn't say anything comforting, didn't tell her it would be all right, and that was damning in and of itself. The mono-eyed gem simply held on to Pearl, as if this was the last she would see her. “I love you, Pearl. We love you.”

She didn't say, 'Remember that.'

Pearl embraced Sapphire tightly one more time, and then, much to Ruby's dismay and growled, “We need to fight, Pearl, stop!” she embraced Ruby as well.

Then, they fought, as more guards streamed in.

“All this trouble for a pearl,” came the snort from the voice, a sort of Beryl, they realized.

They were separated, Ruby and Sapphire forced back into chains on opposite sides of the cell. Ruby was raging, screaming, fighting against the chains. “Sapph! Pearl! No, you can't do this!”

Sapphire quietly accepted her fate, though it was clear the tears were dripping down her face.

Pearl was sobbing as well, unable to break free from her captors. “Please, please, I would rather be crushed, I would rather die!”

The Beryl gave a look of disdain towards Ruby, as if Pearl had not even spoken. “We can do whatever we choose. You have committed treason—there is no punishment too big for you. Feel fortunate the pearl will live on.” Then, a sadistic smirk crossed over the Beryl's face. “She will watch your deaths, and have no idea she ever cared for you.”

Pearl screamed as she was dragged away, fighting it with every ounce of her strength. “Please, let me die! I beg you, let me die, let me--”

She was cuffed in the head by a guard, obviously a dizzying blow.

Ruby snarled, “I will kill you for this! I'll beat your body into nothing and then I'll grind down my foot on your gem! I'll--”

“Very nice, I'm sure,” the Beryl said, back to business. She turned to walk out.

The guards dragged a crying Pearl from the cell, as Amethyst shouted out, “We love you, Pearl! Don't forget! Don't forget us!”

Pearl just sobbed, knowing she was unable to promise such a thing. “I love you too, all of you—I'm sorry, I'm sorry--”

Her words cut off with a pained sound, and then Pearl was gone.

“She won't remember us,” Sapphire said softly. Her gaze, despite being beneath her bangs, was clearly pained as she looked across at first Ruby, then Sapphire. “She won't remember anything about the Crystal Gems or Rose or Steven. She won't even know what Earth is.”

Ruby cursed, growling to herself.

It was only a day later that they were to be crushed.

All three were lined up, a spectacle for the Homeworld to show what happened to dissenters, traitors, and those who didn't fit their roles. 

Sneers were evident, slurs bandied about.

Ruby wanted to hold Sapphire's hand one more time, at least. Amethyst hiccuped, obviously trying so hard not to be scared. “Hey, guys? I'll miss you, kay?”

“Okay, Amethyst,” Sapphire said softly. “I...I love you. We both do.”

Amethyst sniffled. “I love you guys too.”

And then they saw her—Pearl. She stood at the edge of huge crowd, and she stood straight, prim, proper—holding a large parasol for another gem. A large, important gem.

And her face was painfully blank on looking at them, a sort of robotic, pleasant smile on her face.

“Pearl!” Amethyst shouted.

Pearl didn't even respond, didn't even seem to realize she was being addressed.

“Pearl, come on, you gotta answer me!” Amethyst pleaded.

At this, Pearl's head tilted in her direction, smile never once leaving her face. It was clear she wasn't looking because she knew Amethyst was talking to her, though—she had simply been interested by the sound.

“Pearl, please, you're not just a servant,” Amethyst said, practically begging Pearl to realize who she really was.

“She doesn't understand,” Sapphire said softly, mournfully.

And Pearl clearly didn't, a slight look of uncertainty crossing her face, as if wondering if they might be talking to her.

But then, her gem master gestured to her, and her attention was taken—she handed the gem an item, some trendy thing that none of them knew about.

Amethyst was crying, and somehow, Sapphire managed to wriggle her hand away from her tight bonds enough to brush fingertips with her fellow Crystal Gem.

“She has a chance of finding herself again,” Sapphire said solemnly, though her tone made it clear she didn't know this would happen. “She may make it yet.”

And then, then there was the booming voice, the announcement of their crimes, the jeering from the crowd.

Sapphire thought she saw something flicker through Pearl's eyes, maybe, just the slightest thing, before their gems were smashed.

But then, maybe in the last, frightening moments, she'd needed the comfort.

They died, but the Pearl they knew had died before them.

**Author's Note:**

> Toldja it was a sad ending.


End file.
